Paddlers that have been around the paddling and surfing sports for any length of time likely know prone paddleboard background and also know the basics of how various sports relate. Prone paddleboards are the very most basic paddle craft on the water. The element of simplicity, versatility and cross-training possibilities for prone surfers, plus the pure fun of paddling, bind prone paddling to all the other paddling sports.
Kneeboard tail block shaping
Many of you may be familiar with the TreetoSea forum which has been the primary forum used by many hollow board builders over the last decade or so, to share ideas and learn about the process of building hollow wooden boards. The Tree2Sea forum was a great place to learn and share for many years. Unfortunately, the administrator of the Tree2Sea forum has not continued to manage the site, and consequently, it has degraded into a “spamfest” with very little new information being posted.
Vent/leash plug set
All hollow wood SUP’s and surfboards need to have a vent and a leash connection point. When we first started building hollow boards we tried a few different options for these components. We damaged one board after a GoreTex vent crusted over with salt build up and failed to release pressure quickly enough to prevent board damage. The damaged board experience convinced us that a mechanical vent, which would only fail if we forgot it, was the sure solution to venting a hollow board. Here’s a link to a blog post I wrote about the importance of venting hollow SUP and surfboards. Now, when you buy any SUP frame kit you will receive FREE a vent/ leash set with a value of $55.
Surfing and the culture that has evolved around surfing is unlike most other sports activities. The venues are coastal, which means that the sport is not available to those not within driving distance of the ocean. And then, not all ocean beaches produce waves that are good for surfing. The options on any given day can be very limited. And then there is the etiquette in the lineup itself. For the uninitiated this can be quite a daunting set of obstacles to overcome.
